# Two problems with ansible-pull on Rocky Linux 8

**URL:** <https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389>\
**Category:** Rocky Linux Help & Support\
**Tags:** rocky-linux-8\
**Created:** [February 1, 2025, 10:05am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389 "2025-02-01T10:05:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 17\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 10:05am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/1 "2025-02-01T10:05:05Z")

</div>

Hi,

I’d like to use `ansible-pull` to manage two servers and three desktops in my local network. I’ve read an excellent (though a bit outdated) [tutorial](https://opensource.com/article/18/3/manage-workstation-ansible) about `ansible-pull`, and it seems like the right fit for my use case.

I have a minimal installation of Rocky Linux 8 on a test box. I just installed Ansible from EPEL, and I have a first draft of a `local.yml` playbook in a GitHub repository here:

- [GitHub - kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8](https://github.com/kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8)

I execute `ansible-pull` (as `root`) with the appropriate URL, and here’s an error I get:

```auto
fatal: [localhost]: FAILED! => {"changed": false, "msg": "Failed to import 
the required Python library (libselinux-python) on squidbox's Python 
/usr/bin/python3.12.

```

Now this is a known problem with RHEL8 and compatible clones like Rocky Linux 8. In a “classic” Ansible setup, this can be solved simply by defining this in the appropriate place:

```auto
ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3

```

The first problem here is that there seems to be no appropriate place with `ansible-pull`. Apparently the only solution here is to use an extra variable on the command line like this:

```auto
# ansible-pull -U https://github.com/kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8 \
  -e ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3

```

This time things work as expected:

```auto
TASK [enable_selinux : Enable SELinux in enforcing mode] **************
ok: [localhost]

```

So my **first question** would be: how can I define `ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3` in a permanent way for `ansible-pull` ?

In a similar way, I have another problem. Every time I call `ansible-pull`, I get a series of warnings:

```auto
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring: squidbox
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring:
...
[WARNING]: provided hosts list is empty, only localhost is available. 
Note that the implicit localhost does not match 'all'
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring: squidbox
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring:
squidbox.microlinux.lan

```

Apparently there seems to be no way to explain to `ansible-pull` that I only want to execute the `local.yml` play on `localhost`.

Which brings me to my **second question** : how do I get rid of these useless warnings ?

Any suggestions ?

Niki

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![iwalker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/iwalker/32/2599_2.png) [@iwalker](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/iwalker)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/2 "2025-02-01T10:57:00Z")

</div>

You could use `update-alternatives --config python`:

```auto
[root@rocky8 ~]# update-alternatives --config python

There are 2 programs which provide 'python'.

  Selection Command
-----------------------------------------------
* 1 /usr/libexec/no-python
 + 2 /usr/bin/python3

```

as you can see my python is linked to python3. This `ansible_python_interpreter` shouldn’t be required at this point. As far as I am aware `ansible_python_interpreter` is required to be configured in the playbook, but you can configure it globally in `ansible.cfg` as follows in this way instead:

```auto
[defaults]
interpreter_python = "/usr/bin/python3"

```

As for the second problem `man ansible-pull`:

```auto
       -i, --inventory, --inventory-file
          specify inventory host path or comma separated host list. --inventory-file is deprecated. This argument
          may be specified multiple times.

```

So:

```auto
ansible-pull -i host -U url .....

```

if you want more hosts, comma separate them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/3 "2025-02-01T11:37:50Z")

</div>

Thank you for your suggestions, but none of them work.

How do you configure your `local.yml` for `ansible-pull` ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![iwalker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/iwalker/32/2599_2.png) [@iwalker](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/iwalker)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/4 "2025-02-01T16:09:59Z")

</div>

Assuming you are not running as root user, you would need to do:

```auto
- hosts: localhost
  become: true

```

currently your playbook doesn’t have that, so if it requires to configure something system-wide then it would fail.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/5 "2025-02-01T16:47:43Z")

</div>

No need for that since `ansible-pull` runs as `root` here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![iwalker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/iwalker/32/2599_2.png) [@iwalker](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/iwalker)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/6 "2025-02-01T16:53:52Z")

</div>

One more thing you can added for those warnings:

```auto
[defaults]
localhost_warning=False

[inventory]
inventory_unparsed_warning=False

```

but then if `-i host` was used with the ansible-pull command, then it should resolve that anyway since a host has been provided.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/7 "2025-02-01T17:15:34Z")

</div>

No, that doesn’t work either. But then, I’ll just ignore the warnings.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![iwalker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/iwalker/32/2599_2.png) [@iwalker](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/iwalker)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/8 "2025-02-01T17:42:21Z")

</div>

According to ansible documentation that must work, so something not quite right at your end I’m guessing. But yeah, easy enough just to ignore them since they are just warnings.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/9 "2025-02-01T17:47:19Z")

</div>

`ansible` and `ansible-pull` are two very different beasts. While `ansible-pull` is an interesting alternative for machines/networks that are only intermittently online or otherwise sporadically unavailable, it’s also sadly underdocumented.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![robbott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@robbott](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/robbott)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 2:51am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/10 "2025-02-03T02:51:29Z")

</div>

wild guess, but does it work when you set the following environment variables before running ansible-pull ?

```auto
export LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jlehtone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9a140/32.png) [@jlehtone](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/jlehtone)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/11 "2025-02-03T12:17:32Z")

</div>

> [@microlinux](#):
>
> Now this is a known problem with RHEL8 and compatible clones like Rocky Linux 8. In a “classic” Ansible setup, this can be solved simply by defining this in the appropriate place:
> 
> `ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3`

> [@iwalker](#):
>
> You could use `update-alternatives --config python`:
> 
> ```auto
> [root@rocky8 ~]# update-alternatives --config python
> 
> There are 2 programs which provide 'python'.
> 
> Selection Command
> -----------------------------------------------
> * 1 /usr/libexec/no-python
> + 2 /usr/bin/python3
> 
> ```
> 
> as you can see my python is linked to python3.

Red Hat did pull a stunt with el8. They did separate the “platform Python” from “user Python” (and there is no Python for user by default). The platform Python in el8 is `/usr/libexec/platform-python3.6` and there is symlink `/usr/libexec/platform-python` for convenience.

Several Python versions (3.6, 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.12) can be installed for the user and the _alternatives_ can set up the `/usr/bin/python3` (and the “unversioned” `/usr/bin/python`) to point to one of them. If the 3.6 is installed, its `/usr/bin/python3.6` is symlink to `/usr/libexec/platform-python3.6`.

Hence the need to give a hint about ansible\_python\_interpreter on el8.

* * *

> [@microlinux](#):
>
> I just installed Ansible from EPEL

EPEL does not actually have Ansible any more. What EPEL has, are “curated sets of Ansible collections”. The `ansible-core` is in Rocky’s AppStream repo. Whether one needs any of the additional collections does depend on the playbooks.

The `ansible-core` pulls in Python 3.9 as dependency. Running for example `ansible-playbook` (on the “control host”) does not work with the 3.6. However, tasks on the managed host can use the 3.6. Not a long ago a managed host could have had mere Python 2.7 …

Perhaps it is safest to use explicitly the same Python (3.9) for both the “control” and “managed” parts (if the ansible-pull even has them separate).

> [@microlinux](#):
>
> `ansible` and `ansible-pull` are two very different beasts.

Indeed. The `ansible-pull` does pull playbooks from git repo and runs them explicitly on localhost. (I wonder how/if _delegated_ tasks would behave?) One could set cron.daily and/or anacron to run it. I did once look at it, but never got into using it. Hence, don’t know where it has the inventory (that is vars for the host, rather than list of hosts). Probably within the repo.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/12 "2025-02-03T20:51:24Z")

</div>

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Except now I’m currently jumping through a series of burning loops trying to explain to `ansible-pull` the simple fact that `ansible_python_interpreter` has to be `/usr/bin/python3`. A one-line no-brainer with ansible (using `ansible.cfg` in one of four possible locations and a corresponding `inventory` file). But a nightmare with `ansible-pull`, because nothing seems to work the same. Which is sad, because in principle `ansible-pull` seems like the perfect tool here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/13 "2025-02-03T22:14:31Z")

</div>

> [@jlehtone](#):
>
> Red Hat did pull a stunt with el8. They did separate the “platform Python” from “user Python” (and there is no Python for user by default). The platform Python in el8 is `/usr/libexec/platform-python3.6` and there is symlink `/usr/libexec/platform-python` for convenience.
> 
> Several Python versions (3.6, 3.8, 3.9, 3.11, 3.12) can be installed for the user and the _alternatives_ can set up the `/usr/bin/python3` (and the “unversioned” `/usr/bin/python`) to point to one of them. If the 3.6 is installed, its `/usr/bin/python3.6` is symlink to `/usr/libexec/platform-python3.6`.

Any suggestions about how to solve this ? So far no solution seems to work. I think I’ll just drop RHEL 8.x and upgrade everything to RHEL 9.x.

On a side note, buying Ansible and not even providing a fully functional version in the official repositories seems like one of those decisions only Red Hat can make.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![robbott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@robbott](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/robbott)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/14 "2025-02-04T03:52:36Z")

</div>

I just ran ansible-pull on a rocky 8.10 host - no problem at all:

```auto
% uname -a
Linux s03 4.18.0-553.36.1.el8_10.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Jan 22 16:34:48 UTC 2025 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
% which python3
/usr/bin/python3
% ls -al /usr/bin/python3
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 25 Nov 10 2021 /usr/bin/python3 -> /etc/alternatives/python3
% ls -al /etc/alternatives/python3
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 18 Nov 10 2021 /etc/alternatives/python3 -> /usr/bin/python3.6
% ls -al /usr/bin/python3.6
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 Dec 11 21:41 /usr/bin/python3.6 -> /usr/libexec/platform-python3.6
% ansible-pull -d /home/admin/ansible-pull-test -U https://X.X.X.X/ansible-pull-test.git
Starting Ansible Pull at 2025-02-04 08:48:55
/usr/bin/ansible-pull -d /home/admin/ansible-pull-test -U https://X.X.X.X/ansible-pull-test.git
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring: s03
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring:
localhost.localdomain
localhost | SUCCESS => {
    "after": "80ecd8362236a9b9de573fca2b7366fed903b545",
    "before": "80ecd8362236a9b9de573fca2b7366fed903b545",
    "changed": false,
    "remote_url_changed": false
}
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring: s03
[WARNING]: Could not match supplied host pattern, ignoring:
localhost.localdomain

PLAY [Always run] **************************************************************

TASK [get hostname] ************************************************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [hostname] ****************************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "msg": "hostname: s03"
}

PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
localhost : ok=2 changed=1 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0  

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jlehtone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9a140/32.png) [@jlehtone](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/jlehtone)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 6:53am UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/15 "2025-02-04T06:53:53Z")

</div>

I misspoke earlier. Should have checked. The `/usr/bin/ansible-pull` is a Python script.  
The el8 version seems to start:

```bash
#!/usr/bin/python3.12
# EASY-INSTALL-ENTRY-SCRIPT: 'ansible-core==2.16.3','console_scripts','ansible-pull'

```

and correspondingly the `dnf rq --requires --resolve ansible-core` lists `python3.12` as dependency. Therefore, the script itself does use Python 3.12, bypassing all alternatives and other configs.

Then it naturally “connects” to localhost, sniffs what Python is there(?), and uses the latter to execute the tasks. That part is where the config could make a difference?

* * *

> [@microlinux](#):
>
> On a side note, buying Ansible and not even providing a fully functional version in the official repositories seems like one of those decisions only Red Hat can make.

The Ansible developers had some rationale why (after 2.9) the monolith was refactored into _core_ modules and _collections_ of modules. There is `ansible-galaxy` to “source install” collections from online repo even on distros that do not have any Ansible packages. Yes, Red Hat follows the “less is more” path …

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![microlinux](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forums.rockylinux.org/microlinux/32/1244_2.png) [@microlinux](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/microlinux)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/16 "2025-02-04T15:42:38Z")

</div>

Right, here goes. I’ve spent some time with a few sandbox VMs and lots of coffee, and it looks like (almost) all my problems are solved. Only thing left is those pesky warnings about missing hosts, but it looks like this problem is endemic to `ansible-pull`. I’ll just ignore them.

1. Configuration files are handled differently with ansible-pull. I had to figure that out. You have to put your stuff in `~/.ansible.cfg`. If you just use `./ansible.cfg`, things won’t work.
2. Since stuff is supposed to run locally, an inventory file makes no sense. Well, you can always try to create one, but then watch out for some confusion. This is completely undocumented, except a few educated guesses by a handful of bloggers.
3. Variables like `ansible_python_interpreter` have to go in your playbook for lack of an inventory file.

So, after a sunny day of experimenting and working out stuff and then a run in the woods to clear my head, here’s my working configuration (work in progress):

> **[GitHub - kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8](https://github.com/kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8)**
>
> Contribute to kikinovak/microlinux-squidbox-el8 development by creating an account on GitHub.

Cheers from the sunny South of France,

Niki

---

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/rockylinux/original/1X/91b7219eec10e30013422e4df76c1d898711a5d5.svg) [@system](https://forums.rockylinux.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://forums.rockylinux.org/t/two-problems-with-ansible-pull-on-rocky-linux-8/17389/17 "2025-04-05T15:43:13Z")

</div>

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